May Walk Participants Can Join the Environmental Event

09:16, May 12, 2022

It will be possible to dispose of waste paper and plastic, as well as to plant trees

Participants of the May Walk on May 15 will be able to take part in an environmental event for collecting waste paper, plastic, glass, metal and used electronics. Machines for separate recycling collection will be at the start and finish line - near the main academic building of UrFU. The event is held jointly with the Waste Management Union of the Ural Federal District.

"We readily co-organized this endeavor, because the environmental direction, specifically the development of waste recycling technologies, both domestic and waste from the nuclear, metallurgical, chemical, and food industries, is a priority for our university," commented Ural Federal University Rector Victor Koksharov.

According to the University Head, the separation of household waste with their subsequent return into production cycles gives a great effect - saving materials and energy for the production of new products, saving natural resources, reducing emissions of harmful substances, reducing the number and area of landfills.

"Considering this, I am pleased to note that it was our scientists who created a prototype of an optical separator for automatic sorting of solid municipal waste, more productive and at the same time more profitable in operation than foreign analogues, as part of the activities of the Ural Interregional Research and Education Center "Advanced Industrial Technologies and Materials". The separator is currently being tested in Grodno, Belarus. Besides, we are planning to use it at the municipal solid waste recycling plants in Pervouralsk and Krasnoufimsk," Koksharov said.

When it comes to electronics, according to representatives of the Ural Federal District Waste Management Union, 90% of the appliances discarded and recycled form raw materials for the Ural metallurgical plants. Instead of damaging the environment old appliances get a second life and bring tangible benefits. Therefore those willing to get rid of used electronics will get a monetary reward. In addition, there will be master classes on how to disassemble old electronic devices.

UrFU Professor Victor Grokhovskiy, founder of the May Walk, called on the participants to help clean up the area around checkpoint No. 2 (Tubsanatorium public transport stop, Sibirsky Trakt) from garbage.

"Along the two routes, at km 17 and 33, it will be possible to join the tree planting. A special sign installed by our partners from the Russian Geographical Society will prompt the way to the planting site. Those who wish will be provided with all the necessary equipment," emphasized Grokhovskiy.

As a reminder, the 39th May Walk will be held on May 15. Depending on the selected routes, the starts are scheduled until 12:30 p.m.

Reference

The history of Ural Federal University researchers in the field of complex waste recycling and development of corresponding technologies is more than 90 years old. In recent years, the university has created a number of technologies for obtaining useful products from secondary raw materials. Through the efforts of scientists, household waste was turned into environmentally friendly fuel for thermal power plants and oil products (including gasoline and diesel fuel), used batteries into a source of copper, lithium, cobalt, and other valuable metals, old tires into methanol (as a chemical raw material and fuel for cars and aviation), wood processing and pulp production waste into biofuel and pharmaceutical substances, cement dust into glass to protect against radiation (used in medicine and the nuclear industry). The technologies are aimed at reducing the load on the environment, cost-effective, and the resulting products meet or exceed the quality of the best Russian and world samples.

The news article was translated by UrFU International Marketing Office
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